“Hands and Plants” proposed by Ioana Ciurea (architect), Bianca Mocan (visual artist) and Andreea Ilisai (visual artist) is the project selected for the first artistic residence at the Emergency Hospital in Cluj. The three creators will transform the emergency unit of the Cluj County Hospital into a place whose atmosphere contributes to the welfare of patients and health professionals.
Through an interactive and playful creative process the walls of the waiting and transit space of the unit will be painted and decorated with hand and plant graphic motives. The intervention consists of a participatory mural that will cover an area of about 100 square meters and a series of coloring sheets that will be made available to patients and caregivers in the waiting room.
The artistic intervention applies the principles of visual and colour therapy to create an optimistic atmosphere in the hospital space. The two elements around which the project is created are hands and plants, due to the multitude of meanings they have. On the one hand, the human element, expressed by the symbol of the hand – hands of help, hands that offer, receive, comfort and heal. On the other hand, the plants, the natural element, the medicinal plants, the plant garden that helps to restore the state of health. The chosen colors are pastels, both warm and cool, defining a calm and natural viewing landscape.
The multidisciplinary team of the project, consisting of an architect and two illustrators, has already had experience in developing public space projects:
Ioana Ciurea is a graduate architect of the “Ion Mincu” University of Architecture and Urbanism Bucharest and is working as a co-founder of Prototype Studio, a creative studio of architecture and design. The projects developed within the studio are at the intersection of the object, interior and architecture design and explore how tradition can merge with technology.
Bianca Mocan is a visual artist from Cluj. She graduated from the University of Arts and Design Cluj and holds a Master in Graphics. She explores the applicability of art in various creative contexts such as dress design and book illustration. The inspiration of her works is rooted in the underground culture of her generation and the irony of the society in which she operates.
Andreea Ilisăi is a visual artist, graduate of the University of Arts and Design Cluj and works at the intersection of the book illustration and graphic design. The subjects she addresses in her works are inspired by the cycles of life, the nature and the way people perceive their existence.
The artistic residence in the hospital is part of the Inner Space project and is initiated by the Cluj Cultural Center in partnership with the County Emergency Clinical Hospital in Cluj-Napoca.
Inner Space is an interdisciplinary project of Cluj Cultural Centre that addresses the theme of psychological well-being. Artists, scientists, health and psychology experts work together to bring to public attention the dangers that threaten our physical, mental and emotional health. We work together to explore and experience how art and cultural participation can contribute to the inner well-being of city inhabitants.
